The Capitola City Council unanimously voted last week to support the continuation of the Monte Foundation fireworks show in the fall over the wharf.
California Coastal Commission
Posted inLatest News
Santa Cruz Wharf collapse raises questions about lawsuits, maintenance and the Coastal Commission
A number of issues have risen from last week’s partial collapse of the Santa Cruz Wharf, including questions regarding whether a lawsuit against the city’s Wharf Master Plan contributed to the collapse, deferred maintenance on the structure and California Coastal Commission rules that restrict construction to the winter months.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Justin Cummings picked to lead powerful California Coastal Commission as chair
Justin Cummings, a scientist, former Santa Cruz mayor and current county supervisor, has been named chair of the California Coastal Commission, the powerful state agency that oversees land use and development along the 1,100 miles of California’s coastline.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Coastal Commission says Santa Cruz can move forward with Westside street sweeping program
A new Santa Cruz street sweeping pilot program that threatens to tow cars violating its parking restrictions can move forward following a unanimous vote from the California Coastal Commission.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Santa Cruz’s street sweeping was challenged by homeless advocates. Now the state will decide.
Santa Cruz’s plans to enforce strict parking restrictions to facilitate street sweeping face scrutiny from the California Coastal Commission on Thursday amid claims it unfairly affects those living in their vehicles. Proponents argue it’s a crucial environmental measure; critics warn it enacts “hostile architecture” against the unhoused.
Posted inHousing & Development
Cruz Hotel will move forward after Coastal Commission gives it a green light
The California Coastal Commission last week approved the long-discussed and debated Cruz Hotel project proposed at the corner of Front and Laurel streets in downtown Santa Cruz. The project had been appealed to the Coastal Commission, as expected, following the Santa Cruz City Council’s 5-1 approval of the hotel in March.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Push to build more homes on California coast stifled after lawmakers derail housing bills
Several efforts to minimize the power and influence of the California Coastal Commission have stalled, with new bills either dead or so severely watered down that they no longer carry the promise of a more built-out coastline.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Let’s get Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary done
Ocean activist Dan Haifley argues that Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will help complete a zone of ocean protection along the California coast that stretches from Point Arena to the north to the Channel Islands to the south. The decision now rests with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Biden-Harris administration and Congress.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
With Cummings leading, Coastal Commission gives Santa Cruz two-year extension — not five — of oversized vehicle ordinance
The California Coastal Commission scuttled the City of Santa Cruz’s plans to extend its controversial oversized vehicle ordinance to a five-year program. County Supervisor Justin Cummings, who sits on the commission, successfully pushed for a two-year extension instead to assess the OVO’s effects on coastal access during the peak tourist season.
Posted inLatest News
Carmageddon: West Cliff Drive could be open to traffic by year’s end
After nearly a year and a half, the Bethany Curve culvert repairs are finally getting underway Monday in Santa Cruz. The damaged section of West Cliff Drive between Columbia Street and Woodrow Avenue could reopen to one-way traffic within 10 weeks, opening the door for a fully drivable road for the first time in almost two years.